Broken Glass
by SaitouMiharu
Summary: Sven Vollfied wasn't always a sweeper. He was once a young detective for the IBI, tackling cases with his partner, Lloyd. After losing his eye, Sven is captured, and Lloyd will make the ultimate sacrifice to save him-- his life.


A Black Cat Fanfic

By Saitou Miharu

Blood dripped from the gash over Sven's eye, down his chin, and onto the ground. A few small red drops fell onto his pants, leaving little stains. He groaned-- no one was going to save him this time. His partner was probably at home by then, with his family, and Sven was handcuffed to a metal structure in a warehouse. He silently prayed that Lloyd _wouldn't _come-- he couldn't be that dumb, could he?

As if to answer him, a shadow fell over the patch of light cast from the bulbs overhead. "Sven!" a familiar voice shouted. It was Lloyd, his face pale and sweaty, his eyes glowing with worry. "You..." he panted. "Are you alright...?"

"Lloyd..." Sven whispered. For a moment his heart beat faster with emotion, but another second and he realized that all his partner had done was put himself in danger. "You... you retard!" he yelled. "Even an idiot could figure it out, this is a trap to snare us both!"

"Don't talk about it!" Lloyd hissed back. He reached for the handcuffs and took them off.

Suddenly, a loud laugh shattered the silence. Sven's eye pulsed and throbbed further as four men stepped into the warehouse-- one called out, "You're pretty stupid! No matter how strong you are, you're useless if you fall prey to your emotions and willingly enter a trap to save someone!"

Another one stepped forward and shouted, "Even a fool could see this was a scheme devised to take care of both of you!" He smoothed back his hair and added with venom, "It seems as if we can now extract our revenge. It's all your fault that our organization fell apart!"

"The exit is blocked..." Lloyd murmured. "Sven, where's your gun?"

"They took it away." Sven said. He didn't hide his disdain.

The other man took a gun and held it at Sven's eye level. "Then I'll let you borrow mine..."

Slowly, the gentleman turned and looked his partner in the eye. "Lloyd...?"

"In a moment, there should be an opening..." Lloyd whispered. "When the time comes, don't hesitate... open fire!" His green eyes held a trust that Sven wished he could live up to-- a will to protect that broke the gentleman's heart. He wanted to wrap his arms around the man and never let go, to protect him, to pay back what hadn't yet been done. But Sven knew it was coming-- this man was going to protect him with his life.

Lloyd pushed the gun into his hand, interrupting his thoughts: "Understand?" he muttered.

"I won't allow you a chance to retaliate!" The man standing by the exit laughed. _"Die!"_

Sven braced himself for a few shots to the chest, still holding Lloyd's gun in his trembling hands. His open eye widened when the man's gun fired, rapidly, and shot Lloyd, spraying blood into the air. A dull shock stabbed Sven through the stomach like a poison-coated blade-- he felt no pain, but knew that before long he'd be dying. The men laughed as Lloyd tumbled to the ground, but their laughter ceased as the dying man fell away, only to reveal the gentleman standing behind him. Sven screamed as he fired his gun, one, two, three, four times. Then he allowed it to fall from his hands.

"Only the future... is impossible to change..." Lloyd murmured. Sven lifted his head and stared into the depths of his eyes as he continued. "Only using my body as a shield could allow you... to live on... Sven..."

"You had seen it?" Sven asked lifelessly. "You'd already... foreseen this future?"

"Yeah..." Lloyd whispered back. A thin line of blood escaped his lips. "Just like the time my parents were killed... the same kind of situation."

"You knew everything... you knew that you would be in this situation... so you came to save me, right...?" Sven felt a small tear form in his eye. A knot formed in his stomach. "You're too considerate of other people... you idiot...!" He felt like a child-- he wanted nothing but to tumble endlessly into his pit of depression.

"Sven... I have something to ask of you..." Lloyd pulled a small teddy bear from his pocket. "Take this... and give it to my daughter... even though it's just a cheap trinket..."

"You..." The gentleman bit his lip, then shouted, "_Quit joking!_ You're planning on using this as a parting gift!"

"Would calling beforehand have been better?" Lloyd asked. His lips curved up into a smile, and his eyes shut slowly. "To tell my wife... 'I'll be coming back a little late...'"

Sven ground his teeth together as hard as he could. "I'll... pass that on to her..." he croaked.

"Thank-you..." Lloyd opened his eyes gently. "My friend..."

For a few moments, Sven was silent. A tear slid down his cheek and landed on Lloyd's motionless face. Finally the gentleman reached out a hand, closing his friend's eyelids. The moon outside cast an eerie light over him and his best friend as they waited in the silence of remorse.

The stench of blood and death was bitter in Sven's mouth.


End file.
